Quantum networkers, watch out: Twisting light slows it down

Slowing down the speed of light may sound exciting if you're a sci-fi author, but if you're an optical engineer, it might just make your workdays longer.

Scientists at the University of Ottawa say twisting light into a corkscrew shape slows it down. Doing this can cut 0.1 percent off the speed of light, a tiny tap of the brakes that nevertheless could create a traffic jam for future networks and even quantum computing.

Twisted light is emerging as a possible boost for optical networking, which is used in long-haul fiber networks and other types of connections. Today, the networks rely on different wavelengths, or colors of light, to distinguish one message from another. But as the amount of video, social media and other data on those networks grows, wavelengths alone may not be enough to pack more bits onto the fiber.

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